small start, big finish! fun with early literacy · 2017-06-14 · small start, big finish! fun...
TRANSCRIPT
Small Start, Big Finish!Fun with Early Literacy
Georgia Coleman, Community Outreach ManagerLaura Kennett, Outreach Librarian
Who We Are…At Richland Library, we’re guided by the promises we’ve made to our community:
• We are welcoming.• We are caring.• We are committed to offering you the best.• We are helpful. • We are fresh and fun.
Advancing Our CommunityOur early literacy initiatives are driven by strategic plan:
Goal: Support school, college and career readiness. Outcome: Parents and caregivers have the knowledge, skills and materials to help their children become ready to read, learn and succeed.
Goal: Be recognized as an organization that helps solve community problems. Outcome: Our partners recognize us as a vital source of insight, direction and support for 21st century learners.
Eau Claire ~ Columbia, SC• Urban community• 45% of households generate an annual
income less than $25,000• 47.7% of children live below the poverty line
Eastover, SC• Rural community• Average annual income of $20,114• 96.5% of children live below the poverty line
Small Start…Outreach to Childcare Centers• Building relationships• Modeling best practices• Ten Week Challenges (based on ECRR II)Family Picture Book Club• Focus on family engagement• Early literacy tips and tricks• Pizza and drinks
• $40,000 grant from the Knight Foundation• $5,000 grant from TD Bank• Fundamental shift in our approach to
Outreach services• Creation of a comprehensive program with
services for:– Parents and Caregivers– Preschool Teachers – Library Staff
Here Comes Kindergarten
Parents and Caregivers
• Monthly family literacy sessions
• Healthy dinners (no more pizza!)
• Stories, songs, fingerplaysand early literacy tips (everyday ease)
Parents and Caregivers• Parent incentives• Parent partners• Dynamic co-presenter• Children’s books and manipulatives
Preschool Teachers
• Weekly visits from Outreach librarians
• ALA’s Every Child Ready to Read and Early Literacy kits
• Ten Week Challenges• Growing Readers picture
book collections
Preschool Teachers
• The Library Was Here flyers for parents
• School Readiness Workshop for continuing education credit
• Circulation of iPads loaded with developmentally-appropriate learning apps
Library Staff• ALA’s Every Child Ready to Read and Early
Literacy kits• Training through regular Youth Services
meetings
Library Staff• Resource-sharing via Richland Library’s
intranet and enterprise social network• Comprehensive program evaluation by the
University of South Carolina’s Office of Program Evaluation
On the right trackBuilding Adult Capabilities to Improve Child Outcomes: A Theory of Changefrom Harvard University’s Center on the Developing Child
Video: http://developingchild.harvard.edu/resources
/multimedia/videos/theory_of_change/
Success!• Fifty-nine families
(almost175 people) participated –nearly double our expectation.
• 66% of participating families attended at least five of seven sessions.
Success!• Parents reported
spending more time drawing pictures, playing games, singing songs and writing letters and numbers.
• 100% of parents reported that their children enjoy reading more because of the program.
Success!• 100% of preschool
teachers reported learning new ways to read, sing, talk, play and write with their children.
• Nearly all participating library staff members reported increased confidence in their ability to provide school readiness resources to parents and caregivers.
Learning from Experience• Crowd control is a challenge• Food can be a distraction• We want to increase our focus on:
– Family engagement during the sessions– Creating a reading ritual– Learning nursery rhymes– Making connections through conversation– Learning traditional tales and family stories– Making learning fun and easy
Word Got Around…The Columbia Housing Authority and the Carmen Nylund Foundation asked us to bring the program to Gonzales Gardens, a public housing community.
Donors Got On Board…• United Way of the Midlands - $55,000 for
Gonzales Gardens• Carmen Nylund Foundation – seed funding
for Gonzales Gardens• Vista Nights Rotary Club - $4,000 (in-kind) for
Gonzales Gardens• Central Carolina Community Foundation -
$21,650 for three Richland Library Locations• Women in Philanthropy - $10,000 for three
Richland Library Locations
10 Week Pilot Program• Thirty-one families, 103 participants• 61% attended at least five of ten sessions• 48% attended at least seven of ten
sessions• 100% of parents reported knowing more
about getting their children ready for school
• 78% said their children enjoy reading “a lot more” because of the program
10 Week Pilot Program• Parents reported increases in time spent
reading, sharing nursery rhymes, having long talks, singing songs, and more
• Average increase of 12 percentiles on the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test
Targeting a New Population• Added monthly family engagement sessions
in our Northeast community, which has a high concentration of Spanish-speakers
• Increased our efforts to reach Latino residents in the area and offer the services they requested – computer classes, library tours, and evening English conversation groups
Still Going…• Monthly sessions at Gonzales Gardens,
Richland Library Eastover, Richland Library North Main and Richland Library Northeast
• Serving more than 75 families• Working with USC’s OPE to evaluate the
program• Continuing to learn and improve!
And, We’re Not Finished Yet!Exploring long-term funding with the United Way of the Midlands• Continuation of the program for up to three
two year cycles• Increased focus on public housing
communities• Comprehensive evaluation by USC’s OPE
that would follow participants through kindergarten as well as Richland Library’s Summer Stride program
For more information…Georgia Coleman, Community Outreach Manager
[email protected] Kennett, Community Outreach Librarian
www.herecomeskindergarten.wordpress.com
Small Start, Big Finish!Fun with Early Literacy
Georgia Coleman, Community Outreach ManagerLaura Kennett, Outreach Librarian